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Clement William Scott
Clement William Scott (6 October 1841 - 25 June 1904) was an English poet, playwright, lyricist, translator and travel writer, but was best known as a highly popular theatre critic. Life Scott was born at Christ Church vicarage, Hoxton, the son of William Scott (1813–1872), then perpetual curate of Christ Christ, Hoxton, by his wife Margaret, daughter of William Beloe v.. After attending a private day-school at Islington, Scott was at Marlborough College from August 1852 until December 1859.Melville, 276. On the nomination of Sidney Herbert, Lord Herbert of Lea, a friend of his father, he entered the war office in May 1860 as a temporary clerk; was appointed a junior clerk on the establishment in January 1862, and retired on a pension in April 1879, without receiving any promotion during his service. Devoted to athletics in youth and middle age, he in 1874 played at Prince's Grounds, Hans Place, London, in the first game of lawn-tennis, together with Major Wingfield, the inventor, Alfred Thompson, and Alfred Lubbock. From boyhood Scott had been interested in light literature and the drama. On the introduction of Thomas Hood the younger, a colleague at the war office, he while very young assisted Frederick Ledger, editor of the Era. In 1863 he became dramatic writer for the Sunday Times, but retired after 2 years owing to the frankness of his pen. He then wrote for the '’Weekly Despatch'' and for the comic weekly paper '’Fun'', of which his friend Hood became editor in 1865; his colleagues included H.J. Byron, (Sir) Frank Burnand, and (Sir) William Schwenck Gilbert, with all of whom he was friendly. In 1870 he joined the staff of the 'London Figaro,' contributing caustic criticism of the drama over the signature of "Almaviva." He married, on 30 April 1868, at Brompton Oratory, Isabel Busson du Maurier, sister of the artist, by whom he had 4 sons (2 dying in infancy) and 2 daughters; she died on 26 Nov. 1890. Scott began in 1871 a long connection with the Daily Telegraph. He then became assistant to the dramatic critic, Edward Laman Blanchard , whom he shortly afterwards succeeded. He was associated with the Daily Telegraph''until 1898, becoming the best known dramatic critic of his day, and largely leading popular opinion in theatrical matters. For a time in 1893 he was also dramatic critic for the ''Observer, and later of the Illustrated London News. From 1880 to 1889 he edited the monthly periodical called The Theatre.Melville, 277. Scott also tried his hand at the drama. On 1 April 1871 John Holhngshead produced anonymously at the Gaiety Theatre his Off the Line, a popular farce from the French. In March 1877 he adapted at (Sir) Squire Bancroft's suggestion, for the Prince of Wales's Theatre, Octave Feuillet's Le Village under the title of The Vicarage. But his chief dramatic successes were won in the adaptation of comedies of Victorien Sardou, also for the Bancroft management. With B.C. Stephenson, Scott based Peril on Sardou's Nos Intimes (October 1876) and Diplomacy on Sardou's Dora (January 1878). The joint adapters called themselves "Bolton Rowe and Saville Rowe." Diplomacy was parodied by Burnand at the Strand Theatre in Diplunacy. In 1882, when the Bancrofts had moved to the Haymarket Theatre, Scott anonymously produced Odette, a third adaptation of Sardou. Lightly written accounts of holiday tours which Scott contributed serially to the Daily Telegraph and other newspapers he collected into volumes under such titles as Round about the Islands (1873), and Poppy Land, a description of scenery of the east coast (1885; often reissued). An account of a journey round the world, which he made in 1893, was similarly issued as Pictures round the World (1894). He also showed fluency as a versifier. After his friend (Sir) Frank Burnand became editor of Punch in 1880, he occasionally contributed effective verse of sentimental flavour to that periodical, some of which he collected in Lays of a Londoner (1882), Poems for Recitation (1884), and Lays and Lyrics (1888). In April 1893 he married Constance Margarite, daughter of Horatio Brandon, a London solicitor. A portrait by Mordecai belongs to his widow. After his withdrawal from the Daily Telegraph in 1898, Scott founded in 1901 a penny weekly paper, the Free Lance, which obtained no recognised position. He died in London, after a long illness, on 25 June 1904, and was buried in the chapel of the Sisters of Nazareth at Southend. Writing Despite the popular influence of his dramatic criticism, Scott's habit of mind was neither impartial nor judicial. Against modern schools of acting and of realistic drama of the Ibsen type he nursed a prejudice which involved him latterly in frequent controversy. In the van when he began to criticise, he never moved beyond the ideals of Robertson and Sardou. Yet he was a pioneer in the picturesque style of dramatic criticism in the daily press, which superseded the earlier method of bare reporting and owed something to the example of his fellow writer on the Daily Telegraph, George Augustus Sala. Besides the books mentioned, Scott published numerous volumes chiefly collecting his newspaper criticisms of the drama; these include: 'Thirty Years at the Play,' 1892. 'From "The Bells" to "King Arthur": a critical record of the productions at the Lyceum Theatre from 1871 to 1895,' 1896. 'The Drama of Yesterday and To-day,' 1899. 'Ellen Terry: an Appreciation,' 1900. 'Some Notable Hamlets of the Present Time,' 1900; 2nd edit. 1905. Publications *''National Ode to Britannia ... Here stands a post''. London: 1878. *''Lays of a Londoner''. London: D. Bogue, 1882; London: Carson & Comerford, 1886. *''Poems for Recitation''. London & New York: Samuel French, 1884. *''Lays and Lyrics''. London: Routledge, 1888. Play *''The Cape Mail: Drama, in one act''. 1884. Non-fiction *''Round about the Islands; or, Sunny spots at home. London: Tinsley, 1874.Round about the Islands; or, Sunny spots at home, Internet Archive. Web, Mar. 1, 2017. *''Poppy-Land: Papers descriptive of scenery on the east coast. London: Carson, 1886; 4th edition, London: Jarrold & Sons, 1894. *''Thirty Years at the Play''. 1892. *''Pictures round the World''. 1894. *''From "The Bells" to "King Arthur": A critical record of the productions at the Lyceum Theatre from 1871 to 1895. London: MacQueen, 1897.From "The Bells" to "King Arthur": A critical record of the productions at the Lyceum Theatre from 1871 to 1895, Internet Archive. Web, Mar. 1, 2017. *''The Drama of Yesterday and To-day]. (2 volumes), London & New York: Macmillan, 1899. Volume I, Volume II *''Ellen Terry: An appreciation. 1900; New York: Stokes, 1900. *Some Notable Hamlets of the Present Time. London: Greening, 1900. *''The Land of Flowers. Bristol, UK: 1892. *''The Wheel of Life: A few memories and recollections''. London: Greening, 1897. Edited *''The Stage Door: Stories by those who enter it''. London: Routledge, 1880. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:Clement William Scott, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Mar. 1, 2017. See also *List of British poets References * . Wikisource, Web, Mar. 1, 2017. Notes External links ;Poems *Scott in A Victorian Anthology, 1837-1895: "Rus in Urbe," "Lillian Adelaide Neilson" ;About *Scott, Clement, 1841-1904 at Social Networks & Archival Context * *Information about the Scott and Stephenson collaborations *Information about the Broadway productions of Scott plays *Sheet Music for "O Promise Me", G. Schirmer, Inc., 1889. * Scott, Clement William Category:British theatre critics Category:British travel writers Category:Converts to Roman Catholicism Category:People associated with Gilbert and Sullivan Category:1841 births Category:1904 deaths